Game apparatus.



No. 848,701. PATENTED APR. 2, 1907*.

T. M. ST. JOHN.

GAME APPARATUS. (APPLICATION FILED 1120.3, 1904.

THE mmms Pan-Rs 60-. was-"mom. n. c

THOMAS M. ST. JOHN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

GAME APPARATUS- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 2, 1907.

Application filed December 3,1904. Serial No. 235,293.

To all'whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS M. ST. JOHN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York, have invented a Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification. V

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing assembled the parts employed in playing the game; Fig. 2, a transverse section through a metallic box forming part of an electrophorus used in the game; Fig. 3, a detailed view, on an enlarged scale, indicating the heads of animals upon the squares or spaces into which the board is divided; Fig. 4, a view in plan of all the parts assembled, but with the board divided into concentric circles instead of rectangles, as in Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 a detail view showing how the device may be used as a fortune-telling game.

In the center of the board is placed a sheet a' of vulcanite or other suitable non-conducting material. Around it the surface of the board is divided by lines into sections that are rectangular in Fig. 1 and concentric in Fig. 4, and, as in Fig. 3, the different squares or sections may contain representations of the whole or parts of various animals, or, as in Fig. 5, printed matter foretelling fortunes of players.

The rectangular section of Fig. 1 and the concentric sections of Fig. 4 are numbered 1 2 3 from the center outwardly. They may be otherwise numbered or may contain other signs than numerals.

As shown in Fig. 8, the animalsmay represent different numbersas, for instance, the fox may be numbered 10, the bear 30, and the other two shown 10 and 50, respectively.

The game is played as follows: The spindle c, of vulcanite or other non-conducting material, is removed from the sheet-metal box I) and seated in the step or socket for it in the top of the box. When the vulcanite sheet a is rubbed briskly with a piece of flannel, it becomes statically charged with electricity of will repel them, causing negative sign. When the sheet-metal box is lifted by means of spindle c and placed upon the vulcanite sheet, it is inductively statically charged, electricity of positive sign being then present on the bottom of the box and that of negative sign upon the top. If now the top is touched by the hand of the player, the negative electricity is discharged, and if a piece of tissue-paper or small balls of pith, carbon, bread, &c., be placed upon the top I) of the electrophorus and it be then lifted from the charged vulcanite sheet the charge of positive electricity will distribute itself also over the cover of the box and correspondingly charging the light piece or pieces of material them to fly off with more or less energy. If the little ball or piece of tissue-paper or other light material should strike upon the square containing the head of a bear, the player would then score thirty, and similarly for other squares, and in the same way the square or concentric or other arrangement of spaces into whicn the board may be divided may be numbered.

This device constitutes a scientific game apparatus interesting alike to old and young.

I claim as my invention- A game apparatus comprising a board, the face of which is divided into sections marke with different numbers or values and carries an electrophorous consisting of a suitablenonconductor adapted to be statically charged by friction, and a metal box adapted to rest upon the non-conductor and having a removable cover with a socket in the top, and a spindle-handle of insulating material of such length as to be contained in the box and adapted to be seated in the socket, the apparatus being adapted to be used with light pieces of paper, pith, &c., substantially as and for the purpose described. In testimony whereof I have scribed my name.

THOMAS M. ST. JOHN.

hereunto sub- VVitnesses L. F. BROWNING, KATHARINE MAeMAnoN. 

